


The Raven Amongst Crows

by Warruuna



Category: Danny Phantom, Smallville
Genre: Gen, mentions of past character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-22 01:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6065226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warruuna/pseuds/Warruuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was told that his friends and family would have to die, despite Clockwork saving them from the Nasty Burger accident. He didn't think it would be in this way. Not wanting to repeat the future, he was sent to Kansas to live with distant relatives. Powers beyond Clockwork are pulling the strings as the super-powered brotherhood between Clark Kent and Danny Fenton was no coincidence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Just Another Meteor Freak](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/177348) by jadedbluerose. 



> I do not own any of the mentioned characters, nor the respective works that they come from. 
> 
> The story is set after Smallville's first few episodes of Season 5 and after Danny gains his ice powers in Season 3's Urban Jungle. Story progression will not follow true canon order for either fandom. Any major events from either fandom will be addressed ambiguously.

Danny sat there, unmoving, unfeeling, in the waiting room of Amity Park's child welfare office. He knew the day would come, he was told by Clockwork himself that it would happen. But it didn't make the event – nor the few weeks after – any comforting or any less depressing.

Clockwork's interference at the Nasty Burger event only delayed the inevitable. His friends and family _had_ to die. The reason behind the deaths, however, were unclear, as Clockwork rambled on about other time-altering events, other beings beyond his power, but it didn't matter. Danny didn't care. He had no one left to talk to about this, and he especially did not want to talk to Clockwork. At least, for now.

Danny was not truly angry at Clockwork. In fact, during the long line of funerals he attended to, he realized that he was thankful that their deaths were delayed as long as they were. He was able to spend a full year with them. But that didn't mean he would greet the ghost that brought the bad news with open arms. Danny did not want comfort from the timely ghost, and Clockwork knew that the boy needed time, so Danny spent his mourning alone.

Though there was one bout of emotion during this whole ordeal. After the event, he was taken to a child welfare agency to search for a new guardian. He didn't say a word as he was introduced to his sponsor, a soft-spoken lady, but a kind face. She respected Danny's hesitancy to answer any questions, but her patience would be tested. Danny was not up to looking for a new family.

It was when his child welfare worker asked Danny about who he wanted to live with, for the third day in a row. Danny gave a non-committal shrug and said nothing. For the third day in a row. The social worker sighed in defeat and went through a few files. “Okay, Danny, there are a few new names that have popped up. Most of which… well, we're not sure they will qualify as suitable guardians for you.”

Danny doubted that a lot of the Fenton family line would be qualified, as his dad's side of the family are more or less ghost fanatics as well. His mom and dad were the leaders in ghost tech development, but that didn't mean the other Fentons were any less enthusiastic about their work. Considering past events, he didn't think their homes would be “safe” enough for the agency's standards.

And considering that he's part ghost, he didn't want to chance living with them, either.

After a few names that were mumbled and then tossed aside, Danny tuned out the names of family members he didn't even know existed, squeezing his interlocked fingers, focusing on that feeling and nothing else. The woman then found a notable name, and the rustling of papers stopped. “Ah, here we go. He's not blood related, but he definitely has had more time with your family than most of the other candidates. Originally from Wisconsin, this says, but I doubt that matters, he's Amity's may-”

“Vlad Masters.”

The social worker was surprised, but finally pleased that Danny said something. She took on a small smile while reading Vlad's file more thoroughly. “Yes, Danny. He's listed here as your father's friend. He may as well be your unofficial godfather. You knowing him will make this so much easier. We can -”

“No.”

Taken aback by his stark answer, the woman looked up from the file to see Danny staring right at her. His icy-blue eyes were very stern and alert, the most lively he's been since the death of his family and friends. That did not deter the social worker, however, and tried to reason, “Danny, he's the best candidate out of the group. He was your parents' closest contact. It will be hard to find anyone else as qualified as this. Plus you would get to stay and live here, in Amity Park.”

Danny did not blink or look away, his brow furrowing. “I do not want to live with him. I don't want to deal with anything about him ever again.”

The social worker placed the papers down and rotated her chair to face Danny. She wasn't sure how much she could do before she had to resort to non-familial foster care. “Danny. So far you haven't chosen anyone I've mentioned. I know that this is hard, but we're running out of options.”

Danny scoffed and retorted, “You call that Fruitloop an option?” He was acting contempt, but he didn't look the woman in the eye as he said it. “I would rather live in the streets than to go with him.”

“Daniel!” She knew he didn't like that name. That was the first thing he told her, to not call him that. But this situation was getting out of hand. She didn't want to lose this child to something as important as choosing a new start.

He did not see any reason to stay in that room any longer. He lugged himself out of the seat, not bothering to look at his caretaker and said, “Just find someone else! _Anyone_ , but him!” And he slammed the door shut behind him.

She ran to open the door and peered down the hallway, but Danny was already nowhere to be seen. She sighed, collectively closed the door and went back to her desk. The discarded contacts pile was much higher than the few remaining candidates she had yet to go through, the lone file of Vlad Masters still open in front of her.

Apprehensively she took the file in her hand, sighed, and placed it in the discard pile. Whatever made Danny react so badly to the man was surely a sign that things would not bode well for Danny's future with him, despite all of his written qualifications. Plus she didn't want to squander this moment; she got a genuine answer out of him. If this request would make Danny happy, or at least not as miserable, it was a win for her.

She went through the last remaining files, and immediately became frustrated. She was starting to run out of family members, from both sides of his family. While Jack's family tree are overall kind and caring, they are too eccentric for her liking and too focused on their experiments, the majority of them dangerous. Maddie's side of the family, however, has a lot of relatively normal candidates, but next to none of them have had experience with children, and a lot of them have had dysfunctional relationships in the past.

Finally, there was one file that took her interest. The candidate is said to be Maddie's cousin, or half cousin, or something along the lines of that. The connection was dubious, but it was there. They already had an adopted child of their own, and the boy was only a couple of years older than Danny. The social services worker looked at what remained of the open candidates pile. All that remained were one or two files, but they may as well be just empty folders; she doubted there was anything qualifying in their reports. She decided.

She lay the folder down in front of her and moved her desk phone closer, and she started to call the listed contact number. The phone rang a couple of times, and there was a gentle voice at the other end. “Hello?”

“Hello, I am calling from Amity Park's social services department, and I have here that this is the resident of Jonathan and Martha Kent. Is that correct?”

 

* * *

 

Martha Kent just got done tending to her garden when she heard the phone ringing within the house. Wiping her forehead and taking off her gloves, she answered the call. “Hello?”

It was a woman's voice on the other end, calling from Amity Park's social services. Martha vaguely remembered an e-mail about a situation regarding foster care, but this is the first time in a couple of weeks that there has been any contact. She hardly even remembered what or where Amity Park was. “Yes, this is Martha Kent speaking. I'm sorry, but I am not familiar with what happened there.”

“I'm sorry for the sudden call, but we're running out of options. Your cousin, Madeline Fenton, was in an accident about a month ago. She and most of her family did not survive.”

Martha never really had the chance to go to family reunions, so it has been a while since she heard Maddie's name. But she remembered that she was kind and loving. Yes, she was a bit eccentric, but she also knew what it meant to have children. When she heard that she was going to have a daughter all those years ago, that lead to her wanting a child of her own. She was so glad that Clark ended up with them. “That's terrible! Is… there anything I or we can do?”

She heard the rustling of papers on the other end of the line. “That is the reason why I'm calling. Their son, Danny, did survive. He's physically okay, but I'm afraid he'll be in mourning for a long time.” There was a small silence between the two women, and then the social worker coughed to herself to continue business. “Anyway, the main reason is that he's still too young; he turned 15 just months ago, so we've been looking for suitable families to raise him until he's ready to be on his own.”

Martha then noted the implications of this call. “We've been chosen as candidates?”

The lady on the line was more than apologetic. “Yes. We've only had one other eligible option, but Danny outright refused to live with them. Take the time to discuss this with Jonathan and your son, of course. I'd rather not rush this process. But if you decide to not take him in, we'll have to resort to foster homes outside of his extended family.”

Martha was silent for a few seconds. This was a lot to deal with, and her mind was split; she really wanted to help this poor boy, but what about Clark and his powers? While contemplating, she could hear Jonathan and Clark get back from doing their farming duties, and she said, “I'll go talk to them right now. Mind if I call you back later today?”

As she was writing down the social worker's contact information, the two boys entered into the kitchen. As she hung up, Jonathan wiped his hands on a dish rag and asked, “Who was that, Martha?”

Martha turned to her husband, but she was looking down, still deep in thought. “Um, that was a child service worker from Amity Park. She was calling referring to that one e-mail we got a couple of weeks back.”

It was Clark that noted the familiarity of the situation. “A foster care worker? Didn't you and dad say you didn't know why you got the e-mail?”

“Well, now I do.” She restated all that she heard from the woman on the phone. The two boys were now solemn, but knew what this phone call meant. This was a serious matter, both for the fate of Danny, and for the secrecy of Clark's origins.

“Martha, you can't be expecting to take this kid in without regarding Clark's secret.” Jonathan has always been the sternest about keeping Clark's origins safely hidden. His arms were folded, his mind racing with the consequences of this revelation.

Clark couldn't believe how adamant his dad was. Well, he could believe, but this was such a similar situation to his own, he was surprised that Jonathan's mind would be so closed off to taking in someone else. “Dad, Danny's lost his whole family. Don't you always say that we should help others before ourselves?”

Jonathan looked half-sternly at his son, and half proud. But that didn't mean he still didn't like the idea of letting in a stranger into their home, potentially adding another person into their small circle of trust.

Martha took on the role of moderator. “Which is why I wanted both of your opinions before we make a decision. I didn't give an answer yet, but I would at least like to call them back today.”

Whenever there was a discussion in the house, the three of them rarely sat. As an active farming family, they always stood around in the kitchen, or the barn, or even leaning on the porch. But they never sat when family matters were at stake. Both Clark and Jonathan were leaning against the walls. Jonathan's arms were folded, but Clark's were buried in his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched. Martha was standing next to the dining table, one hand still on the phone and the other next to the pen and paper in front of her.

“So,” Martha began, “is that the only problem? Clark's secret?”

Jonathan sighed, “Among other things.” After Martha gave a raised eyebrow to indicate “elaborate, please,” Jonathan said, “We don't know what kind of kid he is. We have a farm to run, you have the Talon, Clark is about to go to Metropolis in a few months… He'll need to pull his weight around here, and I'm not willing to take on another mouth to feed.”

“What about that time Lois lived here?” Clark was smirking. Lois was… _an event_ , to say the least.

“Hey, she's pulled her weight.” Jonathan was starting to smile, too. Lois was an unorthodox welcome guest, but with her military upbringing, she was respectful and ready to work.

“And the whole time she was here, she did not learn of Clark's secret.” Martha was smiling as well, and slowly she's starting to see the inevitable outcome of this conversation. “And even if we do decide to tell him, do you think it would matter much?”

Clark was the one to say, “Well, dad's right on that part. We don't even know what kind of person he is. If he does come to live here, it's not like I would tell him right away. I would be just as careful around him as I was when Lois was here until I get to know him better.”

Jonathan was now starting to see the ultimate choice as well. He sighed in early defeat. “There is no way we're not taking him on, huh?”

Clark's smile was genuine now. “Hey, c'mon dad. You and mom are practically magnets for strays.” Clark noted that the final decision was met, and started heading toward the barn. “I'm going to talk to Lana for a bit, but can you tell me if Danny's coming over during dinner?”

Martha smiled warmly. “I'm going to call as soon as we're done here. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

Once Clark was out of the house and in the barn, Jonathan and Martha were left alone, unmoving from their positions. Jonathan was giving his wife a euphoric smile. “So, we're magnets for strays, are we?”

Martha stepped away from her notes and embraced him. “I wouldn't mind another kid, Jonathan. Plus, I think Danny will be good for Clark.”

Jonathan nodded and rested his chin on her head, wrapping his arms around her to complete the loving embrace. “Are you thinking about Ryan, too?”

Martha also nodded into his shirt. Clark's time with Ryan was so short, but despite or in spite of that, they bonded in ways that no one else has ever recreated. “Ryan was so good for Clark, and it was the same the other way around. Maybe having a brother is what they need, after all of the things both of them have been through.”

 

* * *

 

The social worker thanked Martha over the phone, told her that she would call back as soon as possible, and hung up. She wrote down a few notes in the Kent's file, and then sat back in her chair. That was one half of the problem settled. Now, all she needed was Danny's consent.

She had no idea where Danny went off to, but she desperately hoped that he was in his temporary room. She took the elevator from the office floors to the living floors and headed toward Danny's dorm. Sighing to try to get rid of some of the butterflies in her stomach, she heaved her shoulders and quietly knocked on the door. “Danny. I'm sorry for earlier today, but is it possible that I can speak with you for a moment?”

There was silence for a while. She was starting to doubt that he was even there in the first place, but the door slowly clicked and opened a crack to reveal Danny, his eyes puffy. _He must have_ _cried the whole time_ _,_ she thought. But she didn't want to make him feel worse than he already is. She also noted a small glint: it was a gold ring attached to a chain-link necklace. She didn't know where he got that, but she didn't pry into that either. She was there with one goal in mind. “Danny, I just got done talking with someone over the phone. She's your mom's cousin, and she has a family that lives in Kansas.”

Danny didn't say anything, nor did he move an inch. She breathed in deeply and continued, “Her name is Martha Kent, and she's married to a farmer, Jonathan. They also have an adopted son, about the same age as your sister.” His eyes slowly widened at the mention of their son. Maybe he's always wanted a brother? Or maybe it was the mention that he was also adopted? “They live on a farm and live in a very sparse town. It's not like how busy it is here in Amity, but they would love to have you come live with them, at least until you graduate high school.”

She wasn't sure if Danny was comprehending most of what she was saying, but suddenly the door opened up a bit more so that more of Danny's face peered out. “… He's Jazz's age?”

She smiled sympathetically. “His name is Clark.”

His eyes lowered to look at nothing in particular, but Danny unconsciously reached for the ring and rotated it in his fingers. It gave a red shimmer every now and then as the hallway lights bounced against the gem's facets. The childcare worker decided that silence and patience was the best option now, leaving the final decision to Danny.

Finally, after a few minutes of contemplating, Danny looked up, his eyes watering and pleading. “If I go… can I say my goodbyes, first?”

She had to force herself not to tear up at that point. She has taken care of so many children, but it was always the goodbyes that triggered her sympathy toward these lost souls. “Of course you can. And you should. Thank you, Danny. I know... this is a hard decision, but this may be for the best. Go get some rest, and I'll start contacting the right people so we can get you home.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the mentioned characters, nor the respective works that they come from.

“Wait… you're telling me the kid is coming from _Amity Park_?”

It's the next day after the call from Amity Park at the Kent farm. Danny was going to arrive within the next couple of days, so they started to clear out living space and set up new clothes and bed sheets. And when they mean “new” clothes and sheets, they really mean Clark's older clothes and bed sheets they had stored up in the attic. Since Lois moved to the Talon, they decided to clean out her old stuff and bring down what are Danny's future hand-me-downs.

Clark started to tell his friends that there was going to be a new kid in the house, and Chloe, naturally curious, came over and started getting as many of the details out of Clark as possible. They were now in what would be Danny's new room, Clark moving boxes around while Chloe was sitting on the bed with her laptop opened out in front of her.

Clark was a bit surprised that Chloe heard of the town after giving the gist of what was going on. “Yeah? Why? What's up with that town? And why are you calling him a kid, he's only, what, two, three years younger than we are?”

Chloe playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head. She decided to avoid the “kid” comment and asked, “You mean to tell me that we've hung out through all of high school and you still don't know about anything supernatural?”

Clark sighed, but a smile still lingered in his eyes. “Honestly, Chloe, I was too busy with the meteor-infected that anything else outside of Smallville was beyond me.” He was glad that he got to let Chloe in on his secret. He could finally relax and just let all of his worries out without having to be too secretive. Ever since Pete left, it was hard to find a person to talk to that weren't his parents. Or Jor-El. Especially Jor-El.

Chloe absentmindedly browsed through the Amity Park website, but she also pulled out a thumb drive of her high school “research.” Her data was basically like a pocket knife was to a boyscout for her. But that's what made Chloe very resourceful. “Well lucky for you, Smallville was only a small part of my interests. I looked up other anomalies to see if any cases here matched, and Amity Park was one of the towns that popped up. This place is the unofficial ghost capital of the world.”

Clark had to actually stop what he was doing and deadpan stare at his friend. “Are you serious.”

Chloe put her hands up in defense. “Hey, I'm just going by what articles I've come across. Look:” She clicked through her files and brought up various images – albeit blurry ones – of various ghosts. Clark turned to face the computer and had to strain his eyes to see them correctly. “Most of these sightings have been popping up within the past couple of years, but Amity was actually home to a family of ghost researchers, the Fentons. The Fenton family line has been in that town for who knows how long.”

The pictures of the ghosts were now not of any interest. Eyes wide, he had to sit down. This information was coming too fast. Chloe _knew_ who the Fentons were. “Chloe… Danny's last name is Fenton.”

Now _her_ eyes were bulging. She turned almost comically dramatic towards her friend. “Oh my god, Clark, he's the son of Jack and Maddie Fenton? The son of _the_ ghost researchers I based my senior thesis on… He's coming _here_?!” Realization hit her face. “That poor kid… He lost everyone.”

Clark groaned and pleaded, “Chloe, can you please skip the vagueness and tell me what you know? This information could probably help when he gets here.”

She got out of her stupor and brought up the most recent article she saved. “Sorry, um...” A few clicks more, and an article from Amity Park's local paper popped up, with a picture of a ravaged building. “Danny's parents were on the verge of creating a new fast travel system using their current ghost portal technology.”

The picture revealed metal scraps scattered and jutting out from the wreckage, wires still sparking when the photo was taken. There was what looked like to be a UFO saucer or a very large satellite dish crumpled and ripped into two. Clark felt queasy just staring at it; he couldn't imagine how it must be in person. He also noticed that the other buildings were completely fine. It was so surreal, as if the wreckage of a house was photoshopped into the image. The title of the article said, 'Fenton Family Household Destroyed; Sole Survivor Unharmed.' Clark was then forced out of his train of thought when a second article popped up, this one without a picture. It wasn't from the same newspaper company, but from a paranormal science journal: 'Fentons At It Again With Wormhole Experiment.'

Chloe tapped at the one from the paranormal journal. “This started a few months ago. They had a portal that led to something called a Ghost Zone, but they wanted to see if linking two portals could bypass the Zone entirely. And this...” She moved her finger to the article from the Amity Times. She sighed heavily. “This happened about three weeks ago. I was horrified that two of my idols died, but… Clark...” Clark tore his gaze away from the monitor and looked at Chloe. She looked devastated, and tears threatened to form in her eyes. “It wasn't just his family. His two best friends were helping out with the project. His sister, his friends, his parents… they're all gone. He has nothing left.”

 

* * *

 

Danny was told that he was going to be picked up early the next morning to head to the airport. Until then, though, his caretaker allowed him to wander Amity Park to say his last goodbyes. He spent most of his morning at the graveyard.

The morning was still pretty early, so all Danny could hear were tiny frogs and insects chirping, their calls slowly giving way to more active birds. There was no wind, but the air was very dewy and cold. Morning rays caught on the wet, shimmering headstones as he walked by. Because it was closest to the entrance, his first visit was for Tucker. Danny slowly walked up to the headstone. “Hey, Tuck,” he mumbled.

Tucker's headstone didn't have anything special written on it, but on top of his headstone was a PDA, offset as if someone just placed it there to pick it up later. It was Danny's idea to permanently attach one of his most prized possessions to his resting place for all to see, mainly because he knew Tucker would get a kick out of people trying to take it away.

“This will be the first time any of us will move outside of Amity, huh?” Danny shifted his weight and shoved his hands in his pockets. He wasn't too familiar with how to talk to the dead, despite fighting ghosts almost every week. “But if I don't do this now… the future will repeat itself, and… I don't want to become _him_.” Danny sighed. “Why did we ever agree to help with that wormhole…?”

The next minute was nothing but the sounds of wildlife waking up. Despite being best friends, there wasn't much to say. Most of their time was spent knowing what each other wanted, so before Sam came into the picture, much of Danny's time with Tucker was silent. “I'll be sure to come back at least once a month. I'm sure flying over won't be that hard.” He grimaced a smile, but even that was short lived. “I'll see you around, buddy.”

His next stop was the Fenton Family resting site. Generations of Amity Park's Fentons were laid to rest here, including Danny's family. Maddie and Jack were side by side along a wall of Fenton names, and Jazz starting the row underneath. He decided to start with her first.

“Hi...” Danny wished he spent more time with his sister. “Jazz, I…” He wished that he had things to say to her. He wanted to say he missed spending some time with her, but he never really did. Most of their time was either fighting each other, avoiding each other, or agreeing that their parents were crazy. “You… were always there for me, even if I didn't want you to be.”

Danny knelt down to be closer to her grave. “You were so geeky, and nerdy, and awkward, and a know-it-all...” Danny wiped his eyes with the back of his arm. He sniffed, “You kept my secret before I even knew you did… You helped me when mom and dad started to suspect things…”

 _Mom and dad…_ He looked over to where they were laid to rest. “I should have said something the moment I got out of the portal.” He wasn't talking about the accident that killed them. Suddenly his breathing became faster, more frantic. “I should have told you that I was part ghost. I shouldn't have gone in the portal without you two being there! I should've…!”

He pounded his fist into the ground. Tiny cracks formed into the pavement, and pebbles stuck to his skin. He was unconsciously thankful that there was no one around. One, for his monologue, and two, for his display of strength. But that wasn't important to him now. He stood up and wiped his hands and face. His eyes were now a red, puffy mess, but there were more tears to come.

“I'll... try to continue what you guys started.” Danny always knew that, if he didn't become an astronaut, he would continue his family's ghost legacy. How could he not? He is part ghost, after all. It's his heritage on both sides. “I _promise_ I'll make your inventions better than ever.”

He looked at Jazz's grave. “I love you Jazz.” He looked at his parents'. “I love you both.” As he started walking off, he took on his invisible form. He did it, because the next grave was not as open to the public as the rest.

Sam's grave was in a private sector of the cemetery, owned by the Mansons. It took a lot of pleading to have her parents allow Danny to come to her funeral. Even if he was refused, he probably would have gone anyway in the same manner he's doing now… but that didn't seem right. _This_ didn't feel right. But he needs to.

He phased through the gates that sectioned off the lot and headed towards Sam. He knew there were cameras around the place, so he was going to remain invisible for the rest of his visit. Then, he saw it. Her gravestone was marble. _She would have wanted it to be granite, or slate_ , Danny thought. There were flowers on her grave. Her parents must visit often.

“Sam...” His voice was barely a whisper. If someone was there, they'd probably think they just imagined it. “I am… _so sorry…_ ” His hand clung to the class ring he managed to salvage from the wreckage of the house a few days ago. It was meant for Sam, and he really wanted to give it to her, but now it just seemed inappropriate to leave it at her grave. But it wasn't just that. It was far from that.

He didn't want to let go of her.

He never spoke another word after that apology, though he stayed at her grave the longest in silent weeping. A keen pair of eyes would have noticed tears on her headstone form seemingly from thin air. And, once the crying stopped, a cold, shimmering, beautiful crystal lay with the flowers.

 

* * *

 

Danny's next stop was at his home. Or, the wreckage of his home. Hazard tape lined the destroyed property line. That wasn't a problem for him, but it gave him a good indication of when to stop walking. He did not dare to look up at what the destruction looked like from the outside.

He carried an empty backpack heaved over one shoulder. Danny was going to try to find as much of his parents' inventions as possible. He turned into his ghost form and phased through the debris, his eyes closed as he did so.

It occurred to him that he didn't know how his parents made most of their gadgets. Considering most of them locked onto his ghost signature, he didn't bother to hang around much. So, if he was going to keep his promise to his family, he needed what was left behind. He needed to gut these inventions from the inside out and backward-engineer their insane brilliance.

When he touched the floor of the lab, most of the space was dark and cramped. It used to be filled with fluorescent lights and ecto-glowing materials, but now it was just the light of the surface filtering through narrow holes of the wrecked layers above. Danny squinted through his glowing green eyes at the floor and the walls, not minding what was in the middle. He actively avoided his surroundings.

Despite his desperate attempt at ignoring the middle, the image of the accident was already burned into his mind. Two portals, equal in size, were forced together like magnets in the middle of the room. The pull was so strong, the steel-lined tunnels that formed the inside portion of the portals were ripped from the walls, and the holes they came from were slowly caving in with rocks and dirt.

It wasn't just the pull between the two arches, but the waves that came after. Everything on the walls, ceiling and floor were shoved away from the center. It shook the foundations of the building and caused it to collapse, Op Center and all. The only reason why there was still room down in the lab was because the waves packed the debris tightly against the weight of everything from above. Once the pulse ended, it created a permanent dome to “protect” the portals in the middle.

Danny was able to find a few trinkets down there; the ring portion of the Ghost Catcher, a pair of Fenton Phones, and, to his surprise, a fully intact Fenton Thermos. He popped the top, but this one was empty. He doubted there would be anymore ghosts in Amity Park, let alone a regular town like Smallville, but he took it with him, for the sake of finding out the why and how it worked.

He had a little more room in his backpack, so he flew up to what was left of the Op Center and found a few vials of blaster ammo and an ecto-gun. He doubted the TSA would allow this to get onto the plane, so he left the actual weapon behind and reminded himself to try to get it back later, when he flew on his own.

Phasing up into the sky, he didn't look back at the destruction. He probably would be back as soon as possible; it was only a matter of time that the wreckage would be cleared and a new home built. He just didn't want to leave his hometown with the image of his home destroyed.

 

* * *

 

His last stop was something he didn't think would matter much; the school. Casper High actually ended later than most schools due to the various snow days that affected the area. So today, it was a couple of weeks into June and kids were starting to get ready for summer vacation, writhing in their seats. Danny was excused from the last month of the year, but he decided that there was at least one person he needed to see, and they'd be at the school for a few days more.

The final bell rang for the day, and kids were already starting to shuffle out of the building. Danny took this time to get lost in the crowd and head in the opposite direction of the eager teenagers. Some of them recognized Danny and gave him a sympathetic look or smile. Most of them, however didn't want to have anything to do with him and immediately moved out of the way. Others, more –

“HEY, FENTON.”

 _And here we go,_ Danny inwardly sighed. It was Dash. He was standing alone for once. He was either waiting for the others, or miraculously he tempted fate and expected Danny to be here. In any case, Dash had his arms folded, but it was hard to tell if he was angry or if this was his normal resting face. Danny contemplated just letting him stand there and continue on, but it was his last day in Amity. If Dash was going to be an asshole on his last day here, he may as well deliver some pretty heavy payback.

“What do you want, Dash?” These words probably left Danny's lips more often than not, but his tired voice made the words sound alien.

It was then that Dash actually heaved his shoulders. It was subtle, but Danny noted it was the first time Dash was ever visibly uncomfortable in front of him. “Hey, uh… I heard you were ditching and moving to a different town.”

Danny was actually lost for words, but he didn't let his face show it. Was he being… nice? Dash noted the awkward silence and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Look. If your new school ever takes us on at the national championship, you better not be there, or I'll pulverize you for ever leaving this school!”

Danny could feel his brow go from furrowed to raised. He _was_ being nice. Or as nice as he could be, considering their bully-victim relationship. It wasn't enough to make Danny smile, but enough to look back at Dash with tired instead of hateful eyes. “… I'll see you around, Dash.” And he walked away.

He was expecting the larger teen to call back or retort, but it was just the sounds of kids shuffling out of the school. Danny was shocked that this would be his last experience with him: Dash actually trying to be relatable. He started to think about how Sam and Tucker would have reacted when he heard about Dash's comment… but then this wouldn't have really happened if they were here.

He felt a pang in his chest, and he immediately raised his arm to hold it, head looking down to the floor, but his hand brushed against the ring around his neck and he clung onto it for dear life. He wasn't going to cry at school. But _god…_ he missed them so much.

As he was getting closer to his destination, he wondered why, out of all the people he knew in Amity Park, he wanted to go see this person. If anything, they contributed to a lot of his high school miseries. Endless detentions, endless essays, having him for a teacher for two years in a row… He wasn't the first person he'd avoid, but he definitely was up there.

Then again… Danny guessed that he was grateful. That he was one of the only teachers that sought for him to get better. That they knew he could do better and challenged him to meet those goals. He was willing to listen. He was probably the only teacher that knew he wanted to be an astronaut.

And… in the end… he was happy that history didn't repeat itself in its entirety. In the Nasty Burger event, Mr. Lancer was caught in the explosion, so Danny thought that the “fated” deaths would include him. But it didn't. At first, he hated that he got to live while everyone he truly loved were gone. Danny wanted him to take their place. But he couldn't really wish that on other people. Mr. Lancer. His 9th and 10th grade English teacher.

His door was just a few feet away.

He stepped up to the classroom door and quietly knocked. Mr. Lancer most likely carried out detention today, so he didn't want to barge into the room. Faintly he heard tapping footsteps, and the door opened to have Mr. Lancer's full body in view. “Yes, how can I…?” Mr. Lancer's eyes widened to see Danny at his door.

Danny released the ring, but instead fell into an older habit and rubbed the back of his neck. “Hi… Mr. Lancer.”

Mr. Lancer looked over his shoulder and back into the room. “I expect all of you to wait in here quietly. I will be just outside this door.” He stepped outside and calmly shut the door behind him. He looked down at his former student, the silence growing. “Mr. Fenton,” his voice was softer. Danny wished it would be the same stern voice he would get when he got detention, but this softer voice was becoming too much. “I heard that you are about to head to Smallville, Kansas.”

Danny gulped down a hiccup. “Y-yes, sir. I'm. Uh… I'm moving there, tomorrow.”

Mr. Lancer rubbed his chin in thought. “I looked up the local school there, to see where you will be finishing high school.” There was a thin grin in his lips. “They are called the Smallville Crows.”

This little fact actually made Danny smile in near laughter. “H-What? Really?”

“Yes. I'm glad you can see the irony in having one of our Ravens live amongst the Crows.” Mr. Lancer was a bit disappointed to see that Danny's smile was short-lived. “Though I am absolutely bewildered that you would voluntarily come to school at this hour, especially since you have been excused from attending.”

Danny continued his neck-rubbing habit, this time also shifting his weight from one foot to another.“I was just… coming to say goodbye.” Danny lowered his head a bit, the floor suddenly becoming more interesting than ever before.

“I do not accept goodbyes, Danny.” The young boy looked up. The teacher had a sympathetic smile. It was small, but it was reassuring. “You may not be a graduating senior. _Yet_. But I've seen my fair share of students leave. Some of whom I took pride in teaching. Others, well, they could have had a better time doing more productive things.” He turned his head and eyes in a knowing manner to suggest that Danny was part of that group, and Danny flinched a bit. Mr. Lancer waved it off. “But no matter the student, they all eventually leave. That just makes these goodbyes so… unnecessarily emotional. I'm a teacher. I do it every year. Eventually the novelty of being a students “favorite” at the end of the year wears thin.”

Danny decided to remain quiet as Mr. Lancer finished, “I know you will do well in your next school, Danny. And when you become an astronaut, or a professor, or even come back as this town's Ghostly Hero...” Danny's eyes widened. Did he know? How long has he known? Why didn't he tell him sooner? “… I'll be proudly watching.” Mr. Lancer opened his door and looked back at Danny once more. “I hope to see you again, Mr. Fenton.”

Just as Danny thought he wouldn't get more time to talk, especially to talk about his secret, Mr. Lancer disappeared behind the closing door. Danny cursed to himself that he missed his chance. He started to turn away to head out of the school.

“Oh, and Danny.” Shocked, Danny looked up to see his former teacher peaking through the still opened door with a light smile on his face. “Show those Smallville Crows what the Casper High Ravens are made of.” He disappeared into his room for the final time, the door closing with a _click_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing this chapter, I cried during the farewell with Mr. Lancer. I look up to teachers with a great fondness, and throughout my middle school and high school life, I would say goodbye to my teachers whenever I had to leave or whenever I graduated. I really liked most of them, even if no one else in the school did. I have nothing but respect for everyone that teaches.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the mentioned characters, nor the respective works that they come from.

It was decided by both parties that Danny would meet up with the Kents at the actual farm. The drive from Metropolis to Smallville may be too long of an uncomfortable silence, so Martha spent the time baking, Clark – being naturally the fastest – spent his morning starting and finishing the farm duties, while Jonathan finished up getting things ready for Danny's room. Jonathan even conceded to getting Danny at least a few new sets of clothes and new working shoes. Chloe frankly suggested yesterday that hand-me-down plaid button ups may be a bit too uncomfortable for him from the start.

Chloe is also the one that offered to pick him up at the airport. She had more things to talk about during the drive home and had more empathy than the Kents for his situation. In fact, she's probably the only one in Smallville who has contacted the Fentons within the decade. There was a small chance that he would even know her, but it was the only icebreaker she had.

Chloe held up a paper that had Danny's name on it, and she soon found a group of arrivals come out of luggage claims. She only knew what Danny looked like through articles relating to his parents, but he was unmistakable: stark-black unkempt hair, icy-blue eyes and a near-pale complexion. If Chloe didn't know any better, Danny could have been mistaken for Clark's biological brother, or even a younger, more urban-built version of Clark. However, what pained Chloe was that his eyes were tired and blackened beyond what any teenager should show, and his slouch was probably not entirely from poor sitting posture at this point.

Still, she put on a sympathetic smile as Danny was led by a woman to her. Danny was carrying one backpack and a large luggage while the woman carried a carry-on. The woman smiled, held out her hand and said, “Hello, you are here for Danny Fenton? This is a welcome surprise, I thought we were going to take a taxi.”

Chloe took the handshake and apologized, “Yes, and sorry that the Kents couldn't be here themselves. They're still busy preparing, plus they didn't want you to take a taxi all the way to their farm. So, I came. I'm a good friend to Clark. My name's Chloe Sullivan.”

“… Chloe Sullivan? Did you know my parents?”

The two women were surprised to see that Danny was already willing to talk. Chloe's eyes crinkled a bit more in happiness. “Yes. I wrote to your parents often for my senior thesis. I was working on positive scientific outlooks on paranormal journalism.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled a bit. “They, uh… they talked about you often. A lot, actually.”

The social worker grinned, overjoyed that there was already a connection between the boy and this town. “Well, thank you, Chloe, for volunteering to take Danny home. Danny?” The boy looked toward his caretaker for the past couple of weeks. “Do you want me to go with you to see the Kents?”

Danny looked back to Chloe, and she looked back at him. She guessed he was still shy, 'cause he ducked his head a little. Despite this, he said, “No, I can go with Chloe alone.”

The social worker nodded. “Alright. I gave you and the Kents my phone number, so please call me or leave a message once you are settled in. I will still give a call to them now, and another once I'm back in Amity Park. There's still some paperwork to be done, but...” She sighed. “This is it.”

The pang in Chloe's chest returned as she saw Danny hug her tightly. “Thank you…” the words were barely audible. The social worker hugged back and patted his head in silence.

After a brief farewell between the two women, Chloe led Danny to her car. They loaded what little Danny brought into the back and they both sat in the front. After a brief pause to make sure they had everything, they were on their way to Smallville.

While still in the city limits, Chloe asked, “So, Danny. What embarrassing things did your parents say about me?”

Chloe was focused on the traffic ahead, so she couldn't see Danny's reaction, but the first few seconds were silent. She was worried that talking about them was too soon, but this was her only connection to the boy. She was relieved when he replied, “They, uh, mostly were happy that you were interested in ghosts. But… they also said you wrote about meteor rocks a lot?”

Chloe's smile didn't falter. In fact, she was grateful for this change in topic. “Yep. Amity Park may be the ghost capital of the world, but Smallville is the meteor capital of the world.”

“Meteor capital?” Chloe could hear Danny shift. Was this him being interested?

“Well, we were struck by meteor showers. Twice.”

“ _Twice?!_ ” Chloe snuck a look at Danny's reaction, and his eyes were wide with fascination. She was expecting horror, but this is as good of a reaction as any. “Wow, we were so busy with ghosts that I didn't think things like this happened anywhere else.”

This time Chloe laughed a little. “You know, Clark said something similar when I told him about ghosts, too. He, uh, said he was too busy with the meteors to think about anything outside of Smallville.” She decided to leave out the “meteor-infected” portion. She didn't want to freak him out _too_ early.

“… Is Clark easy to get along with?”

“Of course!” Chloe reassured. “He's the brother I've always wanted. We've been friends for so long, it's hard to remember a time when we didn't hang out.”

“Mmm,” Danny mumbled. “… He's probably the main reason I chose to live here.”

Chloe's smile slowly thinned, but she hung on to it for the sake of comfort. “… Yea?”

“Yea.” Danny sighed. “I'm not exactly sure why, but I felt that having someone else close to my age would help.” Chloe could have sworn he mumbled something else about secrets, but it could have been her own mind thinking about Clark's secrets and how he was going to hide it from Danny.

“Well, if Clark could handle my cousin – and I don't say that lightly – then I'm sure you two will get along fine.” There was a tiny chuckle from Danny, and that was a win in Chloe's eyes.

There was a bit of silence as Danny started to realize they were outside of the city suburbs. In the distance there were endless fields of corn, wheat and grazing grass. “It's… so wide out here.”

“If you don't mind the smell, go ahead and roll your window down.” She smiled when he immediately did so, and she did the same on her side. “Honestly I can't smell a thing, but my city friends complain.”

That was the last thing they said to each other for a while. After ten minutes of driving, the traffic cleared up to where they were the only ones on the road, so Chloe finally took a good look at Danny up close. He was in baggy jeans and a baggy shirt with a faded red dot on his chest, with sneakers that were probably at the end of their usefulness. _He's going to have one hell of a time adjusting to farm life_ , she thought. His arms looked so lanky, she wasn't sure if he could even lift a hay bale.

When she looked at his face, she saw that he fell asleep on his arm as he was staring outside the window, the wind blowing his messy hair out of the way and his elbow sticking out of the car. Chloe sighed quietly through her nose and continued driving. He probably didn't sleep on the plane, so she let him be. Questions and mourning will come later. Right now, he needed peace.

 

* * *

 

Clark just got a call that Chloe and Danny were ten minutes away, so he stood with his parents on the driveway. Truth be told, the whole time he was doing his chores, he was wondering if he should just tell Danny outright about his secret. Would the truth make things easier? Harder? Should he wait 'til Danny has mourned for a bit?

Jonathan must have been reading his mind, because he said, “Clark, I know it's your choice, but I want you to wait at least one week when he starts working on the farm, alright?”

Both Clark and Martha looked at the head of the family. Clark grinned a bit, though his eyes were unsure. “Why a week, dad?”

“Well, if he's serious about the farm, then he's serious about the family.” Jonathan started to smile. “We'll give him some time to adjust, but probably just putting him to work will help him focus on other things.”

Martha wanted to argue that he was being too apathetic, but the car was already on the property. The moment they parked, Chloe waved enthusiastically, like always. But she went slower when both of them started walking up to the house. Clark and his family decided to meet halfway.

“Danny, this is my partner in crime, Clark.” She gestured to Clark, who bashfully raised his shoulders in response. Danny was probably a head and a half shorter than him; in fact, Clark may have been a few inches taller than Dash, so he wasn't quite sure why Clark would be embarrassed.

“And these two are probably the kindest folks you will ever meet: Mr. and Mrs. Kent.” Chloe shifted her gesture to Clark's parents, who were holding each other by the waist.

Danny, for the sake of politeness, smiled. “It's nice to meet all of you. Clark. Mr. and Mrs. Kent.”

Martha was the first to approach out of the family, and said, “Aunt Martha will be just fine. It's good to have you here, Danny.”

“And either Uncle Jon or Jonathan is just fine for me.” Jonathan breathed in heavily and continued, “Hey, Clark, why don't you show Danny around the farm?”

“That's a great idea,” Martha agreed. “I'll call the childcare worker right now. We'll bring in his stuff and call you down once dinner is ready. Chloe, do you want to stay for dinner? We have to thank you for all of this.”

Chloe politely declined. “No thanks, Mrs. K. Sorry I can't stay long, but I have to go once things are unloaded.” She pointed back at her car. “I have a few things I need to prepare for Met U.”

Danny held out his hand toward Chloe. “Thanks for picking me up. Maybe… we can talk more sometime?”

Chloe ignored the hand and went straight for a hug. Surprised, but not unwanted, Danny returned the hug. “Of course we can talk.” After one final squeeze, she and Jonathan headed toward the back of her car to get the bags out. “I'll see you two later!”

“See ya, Chloe! Alright Danny, lemme give you the grand tour.” Clark motioned Danny to come with, and the two of them were heading out toward the field. “So… you found out she's a fan?”

Danny chuckled a bit. “She told you about the ghosts?”

Clark shrugged. “She was so amazed that you were coming from Amity Park.”

Danny rubbed his shoulder. “We didn't talk much about it, but it was nice finding out we had something in common.”

Clark squinted in the light of the lowering sun. It was still far from sunset, but the glare with no trees around got pretty harsh mid-afternoon. “We did journalism together in high school, and trust me when I say she was interested in a lot of weird stuff.”

After a bit of walking, Clark showed Danny his mom's garden, the cattle ranch, the chicken farm and the rest of the produce they raised. It started off a bit awkward, with Clark the only one talking for the most part, but then Danny started to get interested in how much the Kent family worked. Danny was impressed that it was just the three of them that raised all of these animals and crops, but this is also the first farm he's ever been to, so this is probably normal out here.

“And here,” Clark continued, “is the barn.” Clark pushed open the barn doors, his walking pace never faltering. “We keep most of our gear in here, but this is also where I hang out most of the time.”

The barn at this time of year is starting to pile up with hay in preparation for the colder months, but otherwise the other tools, wagons and tractors were parked inside. To the corner was a wood cutter and tool supplies, while in another were blades and wood stockpiles. The whole space was being used efficiently, but it never seemed crowded or claustrophobic. It was homely in the barn.

Clark saw that Danny was starting to get livelier the more he showed of the farm. He was even curious enough to go up the steps to the loft himself rather than being led there. “Wow,” the younger boy said as he saw the furnishings on the upper floor. “Wish I had a space of my own like this.”

The loft was probably just as crowded as the rest of the barn, but it was definitely not a work space. Various seats and rugs were scattered on the floor, while drapes brought some color to the walls. There were no less than two desks and as many dressers up here, and one full-length mirror. If it weren't for the hay piled right next to the banisters, this could have been a tree house, maybe even an actual bedroom or den.

Clark laughed a bit and followed him up the steps. “For a space all of my own, it's not very private. Though you're free to come up here whenever you like. My dad used to call it my 'Fortress of Solitude.'”

“You have a telescope?!”

Clark was surprised at the sudden burst of excitement. He peered over the steps to see Danny already peaking through said object. “Eh, small hobby, I guess. Do you like astronomy?”

Danny was smiling as he turned his head to face him. “I've always wanted to be an astronaut. Like, no joke, I've practiced a simulated space shuttle take off and landing on my computer hundreds of times.”

Clark smiled and sat on his couch, elbows resting on his knees and just watching the kid enjoy himself. “Good thing you came during the summer. When it's not tornado season, there are so many stars at night. Sometimes I just go out in the field at night and look up to the sky.”

It was then that Danny's smile slowly faded. Clark started to grimace. Did this conversation strike too close to home? “I wish my friends were here to see all of this…”

Clark rubbed his hands together slowly, trying to find the right words to say. “Hey,” he noted softly. “Do you wanna talk about it? I mean, I don't wanna pry…”

“I'll get over it.” Danny kinda winced when he noticed his words come out harshly, but the older boy didn't seem to mind. He sighed and turned the eyepiece of the telescope away from him and sat across from Clark in a wicker armchair. He lowered his head a bit and didn't talk for a moment. “Sorry. What happened… is kinda complicated to explain. Especially since you guys haven't dealt with ghosts before.” Danny sighed and laughed morbidly. “Ghosts. I think the hardest adjustment will be that I'm not surrounded by ghost stuff anymore. Everything here isn't glowing or possessed, it's freakishly _normal_.”

 _Speak for yourself,_ Clark thought, and smiled thinly. “Well, I like to listen, so if you need someone to talk to, or if you want to be left alone, just come up here. I'll probably be in here most of the summer, but it'll be your space once I start attending college.”

“Clark! Danny! Come to the house for dinner!”

The two boys looked at each other one final time before they answered Martha's call. There was no smiling, but no animosity, either. Just a tired teen with an understanding host. “So, Danny, I think the final thing for me to say on this tour is, welcome home.”

 

* * *

 

Dinner to Clark was not that special, as it was not unusual for his mother to prepare baked potatoes or cornbread from their own produce. He even wanted to say to his mom that they should have made something more special.But Danny was secretly savoring every bite. Danny didn't want to alarm his new caretakers that food at the Fenton household meant a near 50% chance that the food would fight back. Plus things cooked in the oven usually meant special occasions so dinner usually consisted of microwave or 30-min stove-top meals. He loved his family, but there was never this much work into food preparation.

Conversation at the table consisted mostly of what to expect in his room, how the faucets and shower worked, basic know-how around the house so that Danny would be comfortable doing things on his own. He was also told about the house's curfew; not because they wanted them to get out of trouble(well, there was that, too), but because farm work required to wake up early. He was also told that he could start to learn how to take care of the farm when he was comfortable doing so, and that after he gets the hang of it he would get a driver's permit. Danny was surprised that he could get a one at his age. “It's needed for the tractor,” Clark explained, smiling profusely. “I was able to get it at 14.”

The rest of the night went uneventful, Danny thanking everyone and entering his new room. His bags were left unopened at the foot of his bed. He checked the drawers, and he found various clothes already waiting for him. He slipped into a plain white shirt and boxer shorts and lay down at his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was going to take a while for him to realize that this room was his.

In the next room over, Clark sat on his bed while looking outside his window. It was already approaching midnight, but he couldn't sleep. He really wanted to help Danny feel at home, but it was going to take a while. He didn't want for force any therapy sessions too soon, but he didn't want to just leave Danny to his own thoughts the first night.

But what really kept him awake was the slight sniffle he could hear from the room connected to his.

He wanted to use his x-ray vision or his super hearing to figure out what Danny was doing, but he refrained. Even if he didn't know Clark could do these things, it felt wrong to invade his privacy.

Clark sighed silently and slowly buried himself in his covers, hoping that the both of them would get enough sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a military kid, and for every few years up until the end of high school, my family would always move to a different location. Until middle school, though, we were always just a drive's away from extended family, cousins that I considered siblings. The first time we left state-side, it didn't occur to me that we were actually going to a different country. From the plane ride to arriving at our hotel room, I was just in a daze. It wasn't until it was time to go to bed that realization hit me: We were nowhere close to my cousins anymore, we were in a country that didn't speak English as a primary language... it was honestly emotionally the worst day of my life.
> 
> I would say Danny would have it leagues worse than what I experienced, but this series of events is basically what happened on my first day abroad.
> 
> Also, things might get a bit slower in terms of an updating schedule. I'll try to post one chapter a week, but due to work, I may only have time to write 500 words a night.


	4. Chapter 4

Clark was relieved that he didn't sleep in. He heard his parents' alarm clock go off as a wake up call. He sighed and stretched, and looked out through his window as the farmer's morning ritual commenced. It was 4:30 in the morning, and he could hear the animals also stir, accustomed to the farm's daily routine. Chickens were starting to wake, the cows were ready to head out to pasture. The sun wasn't going to come out for another hour or so, but the twilight of pre-sunrise was enough light to cast a silhouette of the farm against the slate sky…

… But then he realized in his hyper-aware state that he heard a new set of sleeping breaths in the room next to his. He panicked; what had happened yesterday? Why was there a fourth person in his house? _Oh yeah._ Clark silently groaned. He forgot Danny Fenton was living with them now. He couldn't believe he was able to sleep through Danny's suffering. He felt bad that he wasn't able to help, and on top of that, he felt like he slept _well_ through it all.

And then another realization hit him that would annoy him to no end. Danny being here meant he had to take the chores “slow” today. No super-speed, no lifting more than what Jonathan could handle… The morning chores would probably be done way past sunrise. Not to mention that these delays would probably last a few weeks.

Clark sighed and got up to change into work clothes and grab a muffin for breakfast. His mom was still getting prepared for the day, but Jonathan was already up and drinking coffee. “Good morning, son.” he whispered between sips. “Danny's still sleeping, huh?”

“Yea. Not even sure when he went to sleep last night.” Clark bit into a leftover cornbread from dinner. Eating didn't help him wake up – he woke up better once the sun came out, anyway – but he ate for the sake of getting some nutrition in him. He continued to speak while chewing, “It was close to midnight before I gave in and started sleeping, but he was still awake by then.”

Jonathan nodded and downed as much coffee as he could in one go. This was generally the signal that they needed to get the chores moving, so Clark wolfed down what he had and followed his dad out the back door toward the cattle. “Hopefully we can ween the night life out of him enough for him to help us in the morning,” Jonathan noted. He started to speak in more normal voices as they got farther away from the house. “And you know what you have to do, Clark.”

Clark groaned outwardly this time. “That was my first thought when waking up. Having to slow down is more irritating than losing my powers and actually reaching my limits.” He was talking about the time that Jor-El took away his powers for not completing his training. He still hadn't told anyone that someone would have to die as an exchange for coming back to life and his powers returning. He would probably regret it later, but being a human… “Feeling tired felt so satisfying.”

The rest of the early morning hours went by relatively smoothly. The dairy cows were milked and the other cattle were sent out to graze and wander for the rest of the day. The chicken eggs were harvested in the coop and they were also allowed to roam the farm. Martha was up and about an hour into their chores getting her baked goods ready for the Talon. She peaked out every once in a while to check on her boys and her garden. The only other activity came from local delivery trucks picking up the freshly squeezed milk for processing.

Danny was still fast asleep, even through all of this work.

It was only 'til after the rooster crowed about an hour after being released that Clark heard Danny get up in the house. “Dad, just warning you that Danny is waking up.” They were about to start up a mowing tractor, but Clark stopped Jonathan in time to see if he would go outside. He used his x-ray vision, and Danny, for the most part, only sat in his bed and looking around his room. He was also holding a ring close to his chest. It didn't seem like he was willing to leave where he was any time soon.

“Son, we're already wasting time,” Clark was taken out of his x-ray vision to the voice of his impatient father. Jonathan wasn't angry, but he was also not used to being this far into chores so “late” in the morning. “So if you want to greet him, go ahead. I can do this on my own. I need to cut the alfalfa before it gets too hot.”

Clark replied with a thin smile. “Thanks, dad. I'll go see him and mom before she leaves.” Jonathan nodded and revved up the tractor and started to get to work in the hay plots while Clark went back inside the house and washed his hands up.

Martha was there in the kitchen to greet him, coffee in one hand as she prepared the baked goods baskets. “Hey, honey,” she noted quietly. “You're in early.”

Clark hugged his mom and said softly, “I saw Danny get up. I'm going to see if he's alright.”

Martha smiled and rubbed her son's shoulder. “Alright, go ahead. I'm about to head to the Talon, but I saved some for you and the other boys.”

He smiled back as he started to climb the steps. “Be safe, mom.”

Clark slowly approached Danny's room and sighed. He had no idea what he was going to say to him; any mention of him being concerned for the boy could easily lead to Danny feeling guilty or get suspicious. He decided to take the plunge and just knock on his door. It was silent for a few seconds, but then Danny quietly answered, “You can come in.”

Clark peeked through the door to see if Danny was in the same position as when he first woke up, but now he was leaning against the windowsill. Clark couldn't believe that anyone would look more tired than Danny was yesterday, but it seemed like he was even worse this morning. The ring he saw through x-ray vision was now on a chain around his neck, and he took notice that Danny was actively trying to not reach for it in comfort. Clark smiled anyway as if he wasn't aware that anything went on. “Good morning. Did… I wake you up?”

Danny shook his head and smiled in politeness. “Nah, I was already awake. It's funny, but I would never willingly wake up this early for school. I always need an alarm clock.” He rubbed his head and his smile turned into an embarrassed grimace. “Or a wake up call.”

Clark chuckled and looked for the wall clock in this room, and the hands said it was just past 7:30. “Well, hate to break it to you, but this isn't a wake up call. The house has been awake since… 4:30?”

Danny's eyes bulged and looked at the same clock his host was looking at. He did an agape double-take at the older teen. “It's not even _eight_ and you guys are already awake? For _three hours?!_ ”

Clark invited himself in and took a seat on the bed and shrugged at the question. It was no big deal. “Welcome to the farm life. You can see my dad on the tractor to the field on the right,” he pointed out the window. “We've already taken care of the livestock.”

The boy turned around to look outside. Sure enough, Jonathan was already almost finished with the plot of land he was currently on. He and Clark would need to pile the hay for drying soon. Danny turned back and looked apologetic. He stuttered, “I- I had no idea. I didn't even hear a thing, I...”

Clark smiled and shook his head. “Don't worry about it, Danny. We didn't expect you to come help us the moment you got here, especially after all you've been through.”

Danny lowered his head at the mention of why he's here in the first place. This time he did reach for the ring and turned it in his fingers. He looked back up at Clark, still apologetic. “… Are there any more chores I can help with?”

This time Clark was the one surprised. He leaned forward and did the same hand-rubbing motion he did in the loft. “Are you sure? We're not pressuring you to help. You're our guest-”

“-No, I live here, now. It's not temporary.” Danny heaved a sigh at admitting that fact, and gave a tired but genuine smile. “I'm alright. And, next time, can you wake me up to help? I'm going to feel _so_ guilty every time I wake up,” he air quoted, “ _late_.”

Clark's mouth slowly formed into a smirk and he sighed a chuckle. “Well, if you want to. Never had a guest that _wanted_ to farm, though.” He heaved himself off the bed and Danny followed him out of the room to head toward the bathroom. “I'll tell dad to wait for you to get ready. I think he bought you some work boots, so wear those, too.” Clark was about to go down the hallway to leave Danny to it, but then he remembered and noted, “Oh, and wear long sleeves. It's gonna be hot later, but the hay will be itchy if you don't wear 'em.”

 

* * *

 

Danny felt oddly energetic after Clark visited his room that morning, so when he was taken to the hay field, he had no trouble raking the cut hay into tidy rows along with Clark, leaving Jonathan to finish cutting up the last plot of the day before joining the teens in their line-making in the next plot over. Danny was definitely glad that Clark warned him about the long sleeves; he made the mistake of rubbing his nose on his plaid sleeves and he just became a sneeze-fest for a good few minutes. Clark laughed in sympathy but waited patiently for Danny to get over the reaction.Though if it weren't for the sleeves, not only would he be suffering hay fever the whole time, his arms would feel like they've been pricked by thousands of needles.

After about an hour of continuous work, though, he noticed that Clark was watching him.He smiled worriedly and paused. “What, am I going too slow?”

Clark got out of his train of thought and shook his head. “No. Actually, it's the opposite. I didn't think you'd take to working your body this much so soon.”

Danny was now genuinely worried. He knew his ghost strength would show in his human half from time to time, but he's never done farm work before. He didn't know how fast or hard he should be working. He giggled hesitantly and replied as best as he could, “Ah, well, my mom and dad always asked me to help them with moving mechanical heavy objects and stuff so this isn't really all that bad?” He didn't mean for it to end up like a question.

Clark, however, didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't care. He smiled and continued to work. “Well dad's going to be happy that you're willing to work this hard. But don't strain to keep up, okay? I mean, it's only your first day.”

Danny gave a toothy grin, but immediately turned to face away from Clark and gave a sigh of relief. He might as well make it seem like he _did_ work himself too much and took a break to gaze around the farm. It was now late-morning, but the sun beating down on them without any tall trees or buildings in the way made it seem like Amity's mid-day. The cattle in the neighboring pasture were watching them work or scouting the fence, hoping that they'd snatch a bit of hay that the farmers missed.

As he turned to get back to work, he heard a car honk. He saw Clark look up, too, and his face turned into the goofiest, unabashed infatuated grin Danny has ever seen. He called out to Jonathan, “Hey, dad! Lana stopped by the farm! We're basically done with this field, so I'm going to go see her.”

Jonathan waved when he heard what Clark said. “Go ahead! I'll finish up here, don't worry.”

Clark turned to face Danny, his grin still clear as day. “You wanna go meet my girlfriend?”

Danny chuckled, his shoulders hunched in bashfulness. “You should see the grin on your face.” Danny sighed and heaved the rake over his shoulders. “Lead the way.”

They stopped by the barn to retire their tools, but from the other side of the barn came a young woman. Danny's heart skipped a beat; he could have sworn the person coming toward them was Sam. Her raven hair and fair complexion almost made it seem like…

Like she wasn't gone.

His face must've shown his surprise and disappointment, because Clark looked at him worriedly. “Danny, is there something wrong?”

Danny got out of his daze and shook his head, but his brow was still furrowed in disbelief. “N-no. I'm good.”

The girl finished her approach and kissed Clark, but immediately fell into a sympathetic smile and acknowledged Danny. “Hey, Clark. Is this Danny, the cousin you were talking about?”

Clark nodded. “Danny, this is my girlfriend, Lana. She's - we've been...” He had a loss for words to describe their relationship, and his brow slowly furrowed as he continued to fail.

Lana teasingly scrunched up her nose and answered for him, “It's been an on and off mess since the beginning of high school.”

Danny tried to smile. Her mannerisms and voice were nothing like Sam's, but he couldn't shake the initial shock away. “It's… it's good to meet you.”

Lana's smile softened to concern. “I'm sorry about what happened. I hope your time here in Kansas will be alright.”

“The farm is nice, and everyone's been so kind, it's...” He couldn't keep back the pain from the mistake in identity. He wanted to grab at the ring around his neck, but he fell into rubbing the back of his neck instead, gazing down at the ground to hide his hot, probably red eyes.. “Um, Clark… s-sorry, but-”

“It's alright. You can go.”

Danny shot a look at Clark, and both him and Lana now shared a look of sympathy. “Hey, don't worry about it. We can talk later if you want.”

Danny smiled, but his lip quivered as he moved past them and headed toward the house. Lana looked back solemnly and asked, “Was it something I did?”

Clark sighed. “Did you see that ring around his neck?”

Lana nodded and looked up at her boyfriend. “I think he held it as he was leaving.”

Clark was silent for a few seconds, but then revealed what he was thinking, “I think that ring belonged to one of his friends. He was about to grab it when he saw you come in.”

Lana raised her hand to her mouth. “Oh… so I...”

Clark nodded. “You may have reminded him of them.”

 

* * *

 

Danny sat in his room, rubbing his red, puffy eyes. He couldn't believe how stupid he acted. He cursed to himself for reacting so badly. He would have to say sorry to Lana later, but right now he was focused on his friends and family, and the promises he made to them.

As he rummaged through his belongings, it never occurred to Danny that he had his hand on Sam's ring the entire time. At this point it was beyond a conscious effort and has fallen into habit. When he caught himself holding it, he let go, but every now and then he'd take it in his hand briefly before finishing pulling out his belongings.

The Fenton Phones were now on his desk, as well as his thermos. The comically large ghost catcher leaned against the desk on the ground, but he thought about asking Clark for any spare nails to hang it up later. There was no ghostly glow to signify it retained power, so it was either broken or powered down. It would just have to act as a regular dream catcher for now.

Without a second pair of Fenton Phones, the ones he had currently only had the benefit of filtering ghost sounds. And since Danny does that automatically, there was no way to know if they worked without asking Clark or his parents. However, he didn't want them to get involved in things they didn't have to know. Working on them right now was delayed.

Finally there was the thermos. He knew it was already empty, but it also seemed to have lost its initial ghostly glow. And when he tried to turn it on, sure enough, there was no power. He checked outside his window to see if anyone was looking into his room; Jonathan was still out in the field, and Clark and Lana were out of sight, so he closed his curtains. He then turned invisible and phased through his door to check the hallway and listened if anyone was in the house. All he could hear was the faint humming of Jonathan's tractor.

_Alright_. He sighed in relief and stood straight in his room. He closed his eyes and pulled out the familiar cold. With the thermos in his now gloved hands, he sent ecto-energy into the canister, similar to how he activated one for the first time.

Nothing happened.

He decided to pump as much ectoplasm as he could without destroying the thing. “Come on… come on…!” Danny knew he didn't need to put _that_ much energy into an activation, but despite the echoed pleas, it would not turn on.

Danny sighed and transformed back into his human form. He collapsed onto his bed face first, the thermos slipping out of his hands and clacked onto the wooden floor.. “Maaan...” He sighed again into his pillow. “I probably shouldn't be surprised that everything's not working.” In retrospect, the fact that _nothing_ was glowing when he went to pick these up probably meant that they were all somehow deactivated or ruined during the accident. That means he'd have to really take the thermos apart to see what was wrong. Danny sank lower into his bed as he exhaled one more time. _I'll just have to ask Clark for tools later_.

Groaning, he got up, drew back the curtains and opened his window. Now that he's confirmed that something's wrong with… well… _everything_ , he felt vastly overwhelmed and unceremoniously slumped against the windowsill. It was just barely past noon, and already Danny's day seemed like it dragged on forever. But he needed to find out how to make his stuff work.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day went by slowly for everyone, not just for Danny. Clark decided to not bother Danny to talk about the Lana incident, hoping that he'd be ready to talk on his own. However, if it weren't for Clark's x-ray vision, anyone could have assumed that Danny left the farm all day. No one saw him outside any of the buildings, but periodically Clark saw him switch between areas of the house and the loft in the barn. He was either looking out windows, focusing on the ring, or looking at some cylindrical object that he could only assume was another memento.

Clark was so thankful that Lana was understanding of their situation. He honestly thought that she would leave after countless moments of worrying for Danny instead of paying attention to what she was saying. However, because of their earlier years of strained relationships, Lana was more than ready for this. “Clark, if you want, I can come back sometime next week when things have settled down here. I probably should have asked if I could come at a later time, anyway, after you called me about Danny.”

He stuttered and blushed sheepishly after noticing he was looking for Danny's location again. Lana doesn't know about Clark's powers yet, so he instantly felt like he was being found out. “No! I'm sorry, I-” Clark sighed. “I don't think Danny would want to talk right now anyway. I'm just concerned he's going to leave the farm.”

Lana shrugged. “If he did, where's he going to go?” Clark looked at Lana incredulously, but she smiled reassuringly. “Hey, I'm just kidding. But really, he's not going to go anywhere. From the few words I had with him, he respects this place. You even said he wanted to help, right? He wants to do good on this farm. He's not a bad kid.”

“No, he's not.” Clark kissed Lana on her forehead and squeezed her shoulder, holding her in the same way Jonathan does Martha. “Thank you for being so patient.”

Lana returned the squeeze to her shoulders by giving one around the waist. “Hey, with you, patience is my middle name.” She looked up to see the face she expected on Clark and scrunched her nose again in return.

Lana declined the invitation for dinner, wanting to give Danny the space to recover, but the Kents understood. However, Danny didn't even join the family for dinner this time. Clark reassured his parents that he was up in his room, but otherwise no one had the heart to force him to socialize with essentially complete strangers. Jonathan sighed through his nose as he chewed, though he was definitely happy that Danny helped with the farm this morning. “He decided to work, all on his own?”

Clark nodded and smiled weakly. “He even said he wanted to be woken up to work tomorrow.”

Martha gaped at the boy's eagerness. “You two can't be expecting to have him work so much, so quickly?”

Clark shrugged. “Honestly, I think dad was right; the work did take his mind off of things. It wasn't until Lana showed up that…”

“He fell quiet?” Martha nodded without her son having to finish. “Loss takes a bit of time to overcome, and everything is coming at him without a moment's rest. I'm more surprised that he's actually taken to you so fast, Clark.”

Clark inhaled and took one more look toward Danny's room. It was empty. “What…?” He whipped his head toward the barn and hyper-focused onto the loft, the only other place he's been in today; he wasn't there, either.

Martha and Jonathan saw their son's brow furrow deeply as he seemed to stare off to nowhere. “… Clark?” Martha asked. “What's wrong?”

“He's not in his room anymore, or the loft. Where...” He stood up from the table and started to look further out, but then he realized that there was a person sitting on the barn _roof_ , a bit ways away from the loft. Clark sighed and returned his vision to normal. “He's on the roof of the barn.”

Jonathan this time gawked. “Did he jump out the window? No, more importantly, how did he get to the _roof_ of the barn? We never remade a hatch after a few tornadoes back.”

Clark wiped his mouth with a napkin and started out the door. “I think it's time for me to talk to him, make sure he's okay.”

Jonathan nodded. “And to stop his recklessness early, if this is going to be a habit of his.” Martha, once more gave him another exasperated look as Clark left the house, but he raised a brow and his shoulders. “What? He may want to help out with the farm, but we need to teach him some self-control.”

Clark smirked as he heard Martha slap Jonathan's shoulders as he left the house. Looking up toward the roof, Danny didn't even seem to notice the screen door creaking; he was looking up at the sky. Coming up from the back side of the barn, Clark heaved and jumped the distance from the ground to the edge of the barn roofing. Dust trailed his boots, but otherwise there was no trace of him clearing that jump. Sighing in relief, he slowly made his way toward the stargazing boy. “Hey...”

He barely said a word before Danny's spine straightened in surprise. The boy shuffled a turn and stared at Clark wide-eyed. “I, uh?! how'd, I can explain, uh…!” Clark could only raise a brow and grin slyly as the boy fell into a strange combination of stuttering and rubbing the back of his head. “Um… how'd you find me up here?”

This time Clark's hairs on the back of his head stood up, but he kept his cool and sat down beside him. “You think I never thought of doing this in high school?” There was a moment of silence as the two of them looked up at the stars, nothing but the distant clinking of dishes being put away through the kitchen's open window and the occasional chirping of crickets. “When mom and dad turn out the lights for the night, the Milky Way comes into view, too.”

Danny leaned back, more relaxed knowing that Clark didn't go straight to asking questions. “I could probably name about a hundred of these stars and that wouldn't be one percent of what we see right now.”

Clark wanted to delay the questions a bit longer, so he continued, “That's impressive! I've always just looked at them; I've never thought to memorize them other than the planets.”

“OH!” Danny sat back up into a slouch forward and started scanning. “ _Are_ there any planets out tonight?”

Clark stared up into the sky as well, his superhuman eyes scanning for planets. He could see Jupiter and its gaseous storms, as well as around 15 of its moons. He smiled; getting to see details that humans could not was one of the benefits of being Kryptonian. “I think Jupiter is out today.”

Danny continued scanning, but then he pointed roughly in the direction of Jupiter. “There?”

Clark nodded. “Yea.”

A longer silence was strung between them, only to be broken by Martha opening the creaking screen door. She yelled, “Clark! Danny! Don't stay out too late! You still have work in the morning.”

Clark called back, “We'll be inside in a few minutes, ma! You can turn off the lights, just going to talk to Danny for a bit.”

There was no reply after, but Clark's request was granted as the lights from the house grew dark. He then heard Danny sigh and shift a little bit, and then a small apology, “I'm… sorry, that I cracked in front of Lana.”

Clark shook his head. “Hey, Danny, we completely understand.”

Danny shrugged, looking down at his thermos, twisting the cap back and forth. “It was dumb, and I know it. All of you have been _so kind_ to me and I just bolted because Sam's not…”

Clark's mouth thinned at his hesitancy, now pairing the name to who Danny saw in Lana. “… I'm sorry that we couldn't have met before all of this. She must have been a great friend.”

Danny's eyes were furrowed and blinking rapidly. He didn't want to cry this time. He won't. He took in a shaky heave of a breath and said, “She was amazing.”

The two of them sat in silence. It wasn't awkward, and actually both boys enjoyed the quiet company. Every now and then there would be the sound of heavy breathing and snorts from the cattle, and insects would take turns chirping.

Eventually the novelty of silence wore thin, so Clark decided that it was the perfect time to ask questions. “So… how did you get up here? There hasn't been a hatch to reach up here in forever.”

Danny chuckled in surprise and rubbed the back of his head. “Well um… through… the… loft? Window? The loft window?”

Clark was going to call bullshit, but then he thought about it more, and he's made the _same_ excuse to his friends whenever they saw him up here. He lowered one brow, but smirked. “Mm, alright. You pass. Though my dad's not going to be happy. And you'll have to make a different excuse next time.”

Danny sighed a little bit under his breath, glad that Clark at least didn't press the issue further.

Clark chuckled, but continued his interrogation, “Second question: … is that a thermos?”

Danny creased his brow, but then raised up his thermos. “Ah, yeah. This is actually one of my parents' inventions. It sucks up and stores ghosts in here.” He popped the cap open and showed the smooth, empty interior. “It's not working right now, though.”

The older boy hummed in curiosity, but it was momentarily postponed when he remembered that the lights were turned off. He eyed the sky and then nudged his elbow lightly to Danny's arm. “Hey, look up.”

Danny obeyed slowly, and then his eyes popped wide open. “Oh...”

The night sky was now filled with a scar that Danny didn't think could appear in the night sky. The Milky Way. To Clark, on top of all of what Danny could see, the sky was ablaze with more stars than he could count in one night, along with splashes of purples and greens, colors that were usually reserved for the Northern Lights. Clark was told before that all people could see was black and white, and he sorely wished that Danny could see the colors, too.

Although he never wanted to admit his Kryptonian heritage, knowing that he came from _this_ was pretty incredible.

Though Clark's mind was now set on the thermos that Danny put aside to stare up at the stars. Finding that Danny was thoroughly distracted, Clark took the thermos in his hand and observed it closely. It was lined with various diodes and computing chips, as well as lines of tubes that held a greenish substance. The components seemed to run deep in the container's shell and into the inner casing.

He didn't get to hold it for long before a small, tingling sensation formed wherever he held the thermos. A soft humming noise built up, and then suddenly the thermos gained an eery glow to it as a blast of light shot out of the opening, Clark ducking his head away from the light. Danny gasped next to him, both of them now entranced by the beam that hid the brilliance of the night sky.

And as soon as the beam came, it stopped, a hissing and ozone smell coming out of the thermos. Clark also felt a bit winded. He wasn't sure if it was from the surprise or adrenaline, but he suddenly seemed very tired. Danny grabbed the thermos out of Clark's hand, his mouth agape. “How did you…?”

Clark looked at the thermos again, and it was still glowing. _It's probably working now,_ he thought. How was he going to explain _this_ to him, when he didn't even know what he did himself? “I uh… there must have been a switch I didn't see when I grabbed it.”

This time Danny eyed Clark carefully. Danny didn't get a ghost sense when Clark powered up the thermos. And he _definitely_ knew there wasn't an on/off switch on the thermos. He wasn't going to get into an accident with _that_ situation for a second time. But seeing as he escaped a host of questions twice that day, he decided to cut Clark a break.

Both Clark and Danny mumbled that they should get down and go to bed, and Clark promised to wake Danny up in the morning. But there were no smiles as they swung down into the loft window that definitely was not used to get to the roof, nor smiles when they bid each other good night in the house.

Both of them couldn't figure out how to explain the things that transpired that day, but suspicious as they were, they were both glad that their true secrets weren't revealed just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been a year, huh? Sorry about the promise to "post one chapter per week," but honestly, real life has been pretty busy. It's going well, it's just I don't have the energy to sit down and type as much anymore, as much as that bothers me to no end. Like farm life (which I hope I made realistic enough to be convincing), I have to get up at 5 in the morning for work and I don't get home 'til nearly 5 in the afternoon, which leaves only like 4 hours at home and about half of that is usually busy cooking, eating and getting ready for bed. But when I opened up the chapter again and finished it as much as I could, it felt nice to type again. It really did. I just wish I could do it more.
> 
> This chapter was actually 75% written when I stopped last year, but what bothered me the most was how to write Lana's character. She's... well... other than a romantic plot device, I'm not sure how to write her personality, her speech patterns, anything really. A reason why I didn't put Clark/Lana as a tag is because I know this relationship will not be a major focus in this story (Whenever I decide to write more chapters, haha). So, sorry Lana fans.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story inspired by the creative work of jadedbluerose on fanfiction.net. They wrote a really compelling story, but I felt there was too much focus on things that didn't matter to me, and I was left unsatisfied. So I decided to make my own fanfiction around a similar starting point - the death of Danny's friends and family - but the similarities will mostly end there.
> 
> Though I must thank them for being one of the catalysts for bringing me back into writing fanfiction. Please go read the fanfiction this story was inspired by. Really, despite me not being satisfied, I know a great read when I see it. The other person I must thank is [Trumpeteer34](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Trumpeteer34/pseuds/Trumpeteer34). Seriously go read ALL of their works. They are an amazing writer, and they inspired me to just try fanfiction out again. It feels _so good_ to write, y'all.


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